(1) Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a method for manufacturing a reduced void laminate by applying a curable resin to a fibrous substrate and by subjecting the substrate, the resin, or a combination thereof to one or more process steps that reduce the number voids in the cured resin filled substrate.
(2) Description of the Art
Advanced composites comprising reinforcing fibers and matrix resins have become indispensable constituents in heterogeneous structures such as laminates used for printed circuit boards and other electronic components. One particular useful class of advanced composites are laminates manufactured using resin reinforced fibers. Typically, a fibrous material is impregnated with a curable resin compound after which the combination is cured to form a laminate material.
Advancements in laminate manufacturing procedures as well as the resins and reinforcing materials used in the laminates have resulted in laminate products that are made quickly and efficiently and with a high degree of strength and reliability. However, because the laminates are typically prepared by impregnating a fibrous reinforcement material with a liquid resin compound at high speed, it is typical for the cured laminate to include voids such as small air pockets in the fiber bundles and in the intersticial spaces between the fiber bundles. Therefore, there remains a need for new laminate manufacturing processes that are capable of operating at high throughput to produce high quality resin impregnated fiber laminates having essentially no voids.